A Milestone Worth Celebrating

I’ve been in the nuclear industry long enough to know that introducing new products or features to the market takes patience. So maybe that’s why, when we have a chance to share some news with our customers and the industry, we get a little excited.

Last week, Framatome and Southern Nuclear celebrated the successful delivery and installation of lead fuel assemblies (LFAs) from our PROtect enhanced accident tolerant fuel (EATF) program. The GAIA LFAs were the first full-fuel concept of EATF features loaded into a U.S. reactor. Each assembly included all chromia-enhanced pellets with four full-length chromium-coated rods in each assembly.

This was a huge milestone for Framatome, Southern Nuclear, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the industry and our PROtect program. We delivered on a promise we made in 2017. This was also a major step for all of us to bring safer, more reliable and more efficient fuel to nuclear plant operators.

The achievement could not have been reached without the support of Southern, DOE and our global teams of experts. This truly was a team effort, and one that should be celebrated throughout our industry.

Congratulations to all who made this historic accomplishment possible.